Oishii Japanese Rstrnt & Sushi

This is an updated review. So I have been to Oishii several times, as well as most of the other sushi places around the Triangle. Oishii is probably my favorite (notice I said sushi place not Japanese restaurant overall) . The softshell crab is great, the sushi and sashimi is fresh with no undue fishy odor or 'old' taste. I have been there one more than one occasion with my friend Masaru Fujiwara sensei (lives in Kanagawa, Japan) and other visitors from Japan and we all like this place. In addition we have come here several times after kendo practice (I am the sensei for Carolina Kendo Kai) and have never had a bad time. more

Oishii is a decent restaurant. I am surprised at the few reviews that were bad, but not everyplace is going to please everyone. Triangle Kendo & Iaido has gone there for after taikai dinner and I have also been there with my daughter (who has lived in Japan) and we all like the food there. I'm rating it 4 out of 5 stars for food. I have never had a problem with the service there. more

This was my first visit to Suichii. The food was excellent, the presentation beautiful, and the service attentive. I'll definitely be returning. I went at lunch time. I had the hibachi shrimp--the shrimp were perfectly prepared and accompanied with sushi, soup, salad, and rice, all for $7.95. An incredible meal at an amazing price. I will definitely return! Pros: Delicious food, attentive service, very reasonably priced Cons: Ambience is a little ""strip-mallish"" more

I have never ordered anything other than sushi at oishi, and I have never had a bad plate of sushi. The fish is fresh and some of the menu items, like the oishi roll are downright delicious. I do miss some things that are usually served in most good sushi restaurants, like gomae, but for Chapel Hill, which has a totally ordinary batch of restaurants, Oishi provides a reliably good meal. Pros: Good sushi Cons: Holy Cow its expensive! more

I have been in the restaurant business for some years now, and have never quite had an experience like I had today. I started my day out with a craving for a little sushi for lunch. So I headed up to Oishi around 1:40. I pull up, and see the open sign on so I figure they are doing lunch till 2:30. As I am walking up, the sign goes dark, and the window sign gets turned and I think to myself that there is no way the place closes for lunch at 1:45. I look at the hours of operation and it says that they do lunch till 2:00. So at this point I was ready to just get some sushi to go , so the employees could get along with closing, and I could be out of their hair. Upon entering I ask the hostess, who appears to be no more than a high-school student, why they are closing 15 minutes early, and she responds ""Because we just are."" Being a little baffled, I repeat what she says in the form of a question, and she says, with a condescending smile ""Because we have already started closing down the kitchen."" So i say, ""Sounds good, but I want nothing from the kitchen, I just want a couple of sushi rolls."" She says it's (sushi bar) closed as well. Still not comprehending how this KID all of 16 years, old is talking to me and telling me this BS in this tone of voice, I ask for the manager. She says ""He is in the back if you wanna go and get him."" OK now I am furious, and ask her to please go and get him....TWICE. As she walks off she mentions to another apparent high-school student that ""We have a 'stickler'."" The other employee comes up and starts talking to me about the fact she is sorry they are closed...same condescending smile. So the 1st kid comes from the back and says she can't find her manager. At this point I see a man, who appears to be the owner, and he says they have run out of rice. I tell him, I won't be back ever, due to his staff. Not to mention he closes 15 minutes early. One of the girls yells loudly, ""Have a nice day!!!"" as I am walking out the door. Really?!? Pros: Don't know, this was my first experience there Cons: The fact that the FOH employees may ruin the business for this restaurant. HORRIBLE! more

We live in Cary and have passed by Oishii many times and have wanted to try. To celebrate my birthday we took a chance and what a fabulous choice. My significant other is a chef and especially likes to dabble in asian fusion. This restaurant is more on the asian side than american which makes it very uniqie. This is a beautiful restaurant with great atmosphere. The menu selection is fantastic! Definitely try the blue mojito and the wide selection of martinis. We started with the BB shrimp app. which was cooked perfectly! The grilled hearts of romaine salad was delicious, yes I said grilled! We sampled the sushi and a california roll which was fresh and tasty. Presentation is awesome at Oishii! We couldn't decide on entrees, because of the great selection so the waiter recommended the crispy walnut shrimp (to die for) and the grilled sea bass with a ginger risotto. I haven't had an italian place in NC make risotto like this and the ginger was a very nice flavor. Definitely need to save room for dessert. The creme brulee was perfect, nice and creamy like custard is supposed to be. The triple mousse was the perfect end to a perfect meal. This is a must try restaurant. We will definitely be regulars! The staff was friendly and very helpful with selections, we can't wait to go back and eat at the beautiful sushi bar! Pros: menu selection you can go for months and try something new every time Cons: nothing, it was all great you will love it more

After having spent quite a bit of time in Japan (Hokkaido) and only eating the very best sushi, I am very picky with my sushi here in the States. I have been to virtually every sushi restaruant in the Triangle area, and the one place that keeps me coming back time and time again is Oishii. In fact, aside from one place in NYC, it has become my favorite sushi restaurant in America. Not only is the staff prompt and friendly, the quality of the sushi is outstanding. From your basic nigiri and rolls to some of the most inventive specialty rolls I have eaten, everything is delicious. At odd moments of the day I may find myself craving their crunchy roll or spicy tuna tempura roll far too often to be normal. I even took my parents here, who were both scared of sushi previously (my mom had never tried it and my father only once), and during the course of our meal one of the comments from my mom was ""I could eat this all day long!"" Apparently a couple of the reviewers have had a bone to pick about the tendon, which I have never had here, but if you are looking for outstanding sushi at a value price you cannot find a better place in the Triangle than Oishii. Pros: Fantastic sushi, great quality fish, friendly staff and chefs Cons: Not close enough to my house on the other side of Durham more

it's funny that ""sushi_fanatic"" claims to be a sushi lover who has had sushi\r around the US and in the Triangle, this is the ONLY review... \r Hi there, store owner!\r BTW, your sushi is terrible. It's not even sushi!\r \r Consumers: fresh fish / sushi-grade material distribution is quite monopolized in an area like\r this. There's simply not enough demand for many distributors to play the area. \r Think about it - fresh fish JUST doesn't show up in NC. Either you pay the premium to \r over-priced distributors based in NYC/LA or you settle for the ""barely sushi grade"" stuff.\r Some places in the Triangle have special arrangements - but this takes A LOT of money,\r and connections. \r \r Wake up people - Japanese sushi is better than what you are putting in your mouth. Go to\r other places in the Triangle and wake up your taste buds today!\r Pros: May help to keep crowds away from the good places in the area Cons: Cultural destruction + Store owner advertising as a ""reviewer"" more

My wife and I have been to Oishii probably 20 times in the last two months (both lunches and dinners, both weekdays and weekend nights) and we have yet to be disappointed. The service is prompt, friendly, and polite, but most importantly the food is always stellar. The tuna tataki and the spicy crunchy tuna rolls are tied for first place, but the nigiri and sashimi also consistently impress. Try the teriyaki/bento lunches if you are in a rush. Pros: Tuna Tataki, Spicy Tuna Tempura Cons: NA more

I love sushi and consider myself to have highly discriminating taste. In fact, Ive frequently been called a sushi snob. \r \r Since moving to Chapel Hill I have been looking for a tasty, affordable sushi spot to frequent when my sushi urges can't be suppressed. Finally, I found it at Oishii! \r \r We went for dinner and were seated at the sushi bar where we received attentive service and had an enjoyable meal. Service was prompt and the chef was very fast in completing orders. The restaurant had intimate seating for couples and also an area where a larger group was seated. The fresh fish, helpful staff, generous servings and affordable prices are three reasons why we will return to Oishii. \r \r A note to the previous reviewer:\r Okay, so everyone who works there isn't Japanese -- ever heard of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act? It would be illegal if they didn't hire non-Asians. Get over it and place order in English next time...dork. Pros: Quality/freshness of fish, creative rolls, service more

I knew I was in trouble when I went to make my order in Japanese and my waiter told me that he did not speak Spanish. I ordered a typical and very popular Japanese lunch item, tendon. Easy, right? Wrong... they gave me a soup with eel and shrimp. I told the waiter that it was IN NO WAY tendon, and he told me that it's Korean style... I don't want Korean style Japanese food thank you... Their tendon was $25, at a trendy Shinjuku restaurant, you could expect $15 at the most. Also, the sushi lacked flavor and the fish in the sushi case are so close together that they are touching. A sushi-ya no-no! The only place in the States where I can find Hokkaido quality sushi is the Durham location of Kanki. But stay away from their Japanese food, its not authentic at all! Cons: Not Authentic, Rude staff, Not Oishii(delicious) more

If I tell you how great it is and that I get great service and great food every other Sunday - will you go and keep me from my favorite table? I will risk it and you should definitely give it a try if you like great sushi, superb service and reasonable prices. See you Sunday! Pros: Delicious, Friendly, Clean Cons: too far from my house more